Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy as a Key Tool for Energy and Quantum Materials
Abstract
Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) has transformed the way we probe electronic structures by extending the accessible depth far beyond that of conventional soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. By using photon energies in the multi-keV range, the inelastic mean free path of photoelectrons increases to several tens of nanometers, enabling nondestructive and quantitative analysis of subsurface regions and buried interfaces. The tunability of photon energy and electron emission angle allows for controlled depth resolution, while near-total reflection and standing-wave geometries further refine probing sensitivity down to the nanometer scale. Numerical modeling, such as Yang X-ray Optics simulations, provides a powerful framework to quantitatively interpret rocking-curve measurements and reconstruct depth-dependent chemical and structural profiles. In parallel, hard X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy extends electronic band mapping into the bulk regime, enabling momentum-resolved observation of band dispersion and charge redistribution across deeply buried interfaces. Core-hole clock spectroscopy, utilizing the intrinsic core-hole lifetime as an attosecond clock, directly measures ultrafast charge delocalization dynamics at the atomic scale. Together, these techniques bridge the spatial, momentum, and time domains of electron behavior in solids.Such high-energy photoelectron spectroscopy approaches provide universal insight into complex…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Developing high safety Li-metal anodes for future high-energy Li-metal batteries: strategies and perspectives
- Structure and Energy Transfer in Photosystems of Oxygenic Photosynthesis
- Ground- and Space-Based Gamma-Ray Astronomy
- Energy Functions in De Novo Protein Design: Current Challenges and Future Prospects
- Electronic structure of ions and molecules in solution: a view from modern soft X-ray spectroscopies
- Arising 2D Perovskites for Ionizing Radiation Detection
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.